Abstract:

The Ainu people are an ethnic minority who have lived around the northern part of Japan, especially in Hokkaido, with a unique language as well as religious and cultural distinctiveness. The Japanese government recognized them as an Indigenous People in 2008 and began to implement comprehensive policies to promote Ainu culture. Although there are significant differences between the Ainu and Taiwanese Aboriginals, such as proportion among population (Taiwanese aboriginals constitute 2% of the total population, whereas the Ainu less than 0.04%) and state of preservation of traditional way of life, several Taiwanese indigenous policies have been found to be instructive for the promotion of Ainu culture.

About the speaker:

Dr. Teruki TSUNEMOTO is Director of the Centre for Ainu and Indigenous Studies and Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Hokkaido. In addition to his academic work, he is actively involved in Japanese public policy on human rights and indigenous rights. He has been a research associate and visiting scholar at the University of California (Berkeley), SOAS (University of London), and Harvard University. He has conducted research on indigenous policy in Japan and Taiwan.